Folding bed



Dec. 9 1924- 1,518,346

W. L. MURPHY FOLDING BED File NO @919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N V EN TOR.Will/am L Mar ah 4 ATTORNEYS.

K111i W240 LMfi4fi W. L. MURPHY FOLDING BED Filed Nov. 20, p19 2sheets-sheet 2 W 44 z/\. i fig. 3 42 INvENToR Will/am L. Murphy.

M Arron N rzys Patented Dec. 9, 1924.

4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. MURPHY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO MURPHY WALLBED COMPANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

FOLDING BED.

Appflication filed November 20, 1919. Serial 1W0. 339,390.

To all wiz am it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM L. MURPHY, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county ofSan Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and usefulFolding Bed, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to folding beds.

An object of the invention is to provide a folding bed embodying animproved foot frame and means for mounting'the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved head frame andmounting therefor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bed capable of beingfolded to adapt it to be moved through a doorway, and having in theunfolded position stable head and foot frames having the appearance ofthe head and foot frames of an ordinary bed.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the followingdescription of the preferred form of my invention which is illustratedin the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. Itis to be understood that I do not limit myself to the showing made bythe said drawings and description, as I may adopt variations of thepreferred form within the scope of my invention as set forth in theclaims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the bed unfolded for use. Figure 2 is aside elevation of the folded bed. Figure 3 is a vertical sectional Viewtaken longitudinally of the bed. Figure 4 is a vertical sectional viewof a portion of the head frame and mounting. Figure 5 is a plan view ofa part of the bed supporting frame.

The bed of my invention comprises a supporting structure formed of theend members 2 connected by the angle iron 3, and the four sided frame 4which is made of cylindrical tubing. Brackets 6 and 7 are bolted to thetop and bottom respectively of the frame 4, and are pivotally supportedon fixtures 8 and 9 respectively, secured. on the edge of a closet doorcasing 10, so thatwhen the bed has been folded into a vertical positionthe supporting structure may be turned through the door into the closet.In order to permit transverse adjustment of the frame 4: upon thebrackets, the apertures 11 therein, through which the fastening bolts 12pass, are elongated as best shown in Figure 5.

The bed frame comprises side rails 13 on the head end of which fittings14: are fixed. An angle iron 16 rigidly connects the fittings andprovides a transverse bar towhich the wire fabric 17 is attached, thefoot end of the fabric being attached to a similar baror angle iron 18connecting the fittings 19 fixed at the foot end of the side rails.

The head frame of the bed is in two parts and consists of an upper frame21 pivotally connected by the knuckle joints 22 to the lower frame 23which is bolted rigidly to the fittings 14 and extends transverselyacross the bed frame.

Each fitting 14 is provided with a stud 24 journaled in the upper end ofa link 26, the lower end of which is pivotally mounted on the'pin 27 inthe front lower portion of the supporting frame 2. The fittings are alsoeach provided with a stud 28 adapted to en gage the rear face of a guide29 extending upwardly from the front end of each frame 2. The upper endof each arm is formed with a sloping shoulder or ledge 31 upon which thestuds 28 seat when the bed is lowered to the horizontal position. Thusthe links 26 carry the weight of the bed during its movement to and fromits horizontal position and the guides 29 control the character of thatmovement, permitting a bodily forward movement of the bed to permit theseating of the studs 28, so that ressure on the head end of the bedexerted ownwardl y will not lift the foot end.

A transverse bar 32 extending across the head end of the bed, isconnected to the fittings 14, and a series of tension springs 33 areinterposed between this bar and the transverse bar 3 to counterbalancethe weight of the unbalanced portion of the bed forward of the links 26.

Legs 34 for supporting the foot of the bed when it is turned down arepivoted to the side rails 13, and are rigidly connected b a rod 36 onwhich a lever arm 37 is fixe A link 38 is pivotally attached to thelever arm at one end and to the transverse bar 3 at the other end, theproportion and arrangementof parts being such that on raising the bedinto the vertical position, the link 38 draws the legs 34 intoparallelism with the side rails 13, and on lowering the bed, extends thelegs to limit the downward movement of the bed. This limitation by thelegs 34 of the downward movement of the bed is intimately connected withthe functioning of the upper head frame 21 and its controllingmechanism. It is desired that the upper frame which of course lies in asubstantially vertical plane when the bed is in its horizontal positionas seen in Figure 1 shall retain the same vertical position and besubstantially parallel to the plane of the wire fabric when the bed israised as seen in Figure 2. In the latter case, the upper head frameacts as a retainer for the pillows and head end of the mattress so thatthe bedding is not disarranged by the movement of the bed. An eye bolt41- is disposed in the center of the top member of frame 4, passingthrough a slot in the bracket 6 so that adjustment of the bracket is notinterfered with. Pivoted to the eye bolt is a link 42-. which at theother end is bifurcated and provided with a roller 43 adapted to engagethe guide 44 vertically fixed on the rear side of the upper frame. Theproportion and arrangement of the parts is such that when. during thelowering of the bed. the legs'34 touch the floor. the link 42 is at thelower extreme of its movement on the guide 44 and retains the upperframe snugly against the stops of the. knuckle joints 22, thusmaintaining the head frame securely in position. When, during theraising of the bed, the upward movement is halted by ongagement of thescrews 46, adjustably set in the links 26. with the front edge of theguides 29. the link 42 is at the upper extreme of its movement on theguide 44, thus retaining the upper frame in the desired verticalposition. The link 42 therefore permits the rise and fall of the upperframe 21 during movement of the bed. but insures the substantiallyvertical position of the frame,-and draws it tightly against the stopsof the knuckle joints to give it rigidity when the bed is in positionfor use. The legs 34 provide the positive stop to move ment of the bedwhich-is necessary to prevent the breaking of the knuckle joint or thedistortion of the frame 4, which would occur if the foot end werelowered too far. Means are arranged at the lower end of the bed forproviding a foot frame of standard type which supports part of theweight of the bedand also serves as a clamp to retain the mattress andbedding in position when the bed is turned up. A foot frame of standarddesign comprising the vertical members or legs 47 connected by thetransverse top rail 48 is mounted on the side rails 13 by links 49 and51 at each side, pivoted as shown in Figure 1, so that the foot framemay be turned up upon the mattress in a position substantiall parallelto the side rails, as shown in Figure 2. The lower-link 51 is formedpreferably with a bend inter-median: its ends, and a stop 52 is formedon each ['11- ting 19 to limit the movement of the link and the footframewhen it is moved to upright position after the bed is lowered.Tension springs 53 are attached to the links 51 and the side rails 13.These springs, pulling on the link 51 in the unfolded position of thefoot frame, as shown in Figure 1, keep the foot frame tightly againstthe floor. and to an amount equivalent to their tension support theweight of the bed. The stops are so placed that they prevent: the linksfrom being pulled under the bed frame to far, and with a level floor thelinks 51 are i engaged with the stops. the bottoms of the foot frame areseated firmly on the floor and together with the legs 34 support thefoot end of the bed. The structure thus ar ranged provides a stable andrelatively rigid foot frame comparable to that of an ordinary bed.

Turning up the foot frame moves the springs 53 past the pivot of thelinks 51 and draws the foot frame tightly against the bedding andmattress as shown in Figure 2.

Operatz'0n.-Assumin g the bed illtllO open position shown in Figure 1,the bed is folded by turning up the foot frame to clamp the mattress andbedding tightly against the spring 17. Small upward pressure on the footend, then unseats the studs 28 and permits the bed to pivot and movelmekwardly on the links 26, the knuckle joints 22 turning and the upperhead frame simultaneous ly moving downwardly and rearwardly and the legs34 folding toward the rails 13 until the parts are in the position shownin F igure 2. The bed is then swung on its pivoted brackets 6 and 7through the closet: doorway to the opposite side of the casing.

I claim:

1. In a folding bed, a supporting frame. a bed frame pivotally mountedon said sup porting frame, a head frame pivotallv mounted on the bedframe, a guide fixed on said head frame and a link of fixed lengthpivoted at one end to said supporting frame and having its opposite endslidably engaged with said guide.

2. In a folding bed. a supporting frame, a bed frame. links pivotallysupporting said bedframe on said supporting frame. guides on saidsupporting frame, studs on said bed frame engaging said guides. a headframe pivotally mounted on said bed frame, and a link of fixed lengthpivoted at one end to said supporting frame and having its opposite endslidably connected to. said. head frame.

3. In a folding bed, a supporting frame. a bed frame, links pivotallysupporting said bed frame on said supporting frame, guides on saidsupporting frame. studs on said bed frame engaging said guides, a headframe ill) pivotally mounted on said bed frame, a guide fixed on saidhead frame, and a link of fixed length pivoted at-one end to saidsupporting frame and having its opposite end 'slidably engaged with saidguide.

4:- In a folding bed, a bed frame, a foot frame pivotally mounted onsaid bed frame and ada ted to be turned into a position substantiallyparallel thereto or into a position substantially perpendicular thereto,and a spring for retaining said foot frame in either position and whensaid foot frame is in said perpendicular position for pressing said footframe against the floor to support a portion of the weight of said bedframe.

5. In a folding bed, a bed frame, a foot frame pivotally mounted on saidbed frame andadapted tobe turned into a position substantially parallelthereto or into a position substantially perpendicular thereto, and aspring for retaining said foot frame in either position whereby saidfoot frame in said parallel position clamps the bedding on said bedframe and in said perpendicular position is pressed against the floor tosupport a portion of the weight of said bed frame.

6. In a folding bed, a bed frame, a foot frame pivotally mounted on saidbed frame and adapted to be turned into a position substantiallyparallel thereto or into a position substantially perpendicular thereto,a spring for retaining said foot frame in either position whereby saidfoot frame in said parallelposition clamps the bedding on said bed frameand in said perpendicular position is pressed against the floor tosupport a portion of the weight of said bed frame, and an automaticallyextended leg for supporting the rest of the weight of the foot end ofthe bed frame.

7. In a folding bed, a bed frame, a foot frame pivotally mounted on saidbed frame, and a spring interposed between said foot and bed frames forpulling said foot frame tightly against the floor when said bed frame isin the unfolded position wherebv stability is given the foot frame.

8. In a folding bed, a bed frame, a foot frame, links pivotallyconnecting said foot and bed frame, a stop on the bed frame for limitingthe movement of said links, and a spring for pulling said links in thedirection of said stop and said foot frame tightly against the floorwhen said bed frame is in the unfolded position.

9. In a folding bed, a supporting frame, a bed frame pivotally mountedon said supporting frame, a head frame pivotally mounted on the bedframe. a uide rod fixed on said head frame and a link pivoted to WILLIAML. MURPHY. In presence of- C. S. EVANS.

